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It's official

Hawks send Mutombo to Sixers

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Dikembe Mutombo (right) may be the inside presence the Sixers need to take them to the Finals. AP

ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- The Sixers acquired a new weapon in their bid to win a championship this season.

According to SI's Marty Burns, Philadelphia got free-agent-to-be Dikembe Mutombo from Atlanta for Theo Ratliff and Toni Kukoc on Thursday. The Hawks' Roshown McLeod and the Sixers' Nazr Mohammed and Juan "Pepe" Sanchez reportedly are also involved in the deal.

In acquiring the 7-foot-2 Mutombo, the league's leading rebounder, the 76ers beat out several teams -- including the Knicks, Mavericks, Trail Blazers and Suns -- who were trying to acquire him.

The price Philadelphia ended up paying was a high one -- they traded away Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes in recent seasons to acquire Ratliff and Kukoc -- but the 76ers decided it wasn't too much for a center who they believe would enhance their chances for success in the Finals.

SI's Marty Burns Sixers head coach Larry Brown is going for it all, the 2000-01 NBA title. That's why he's willing to risk disrupting his team's chemistry by giving up the popular Theo Ratliff and key reserve Toni Kukoc for Dikembe Mutombo. Brown and his staff feel the 7-foot-2 Mutombo gives them a legitimate center to match up with Shaq or the Twin Towers in the Finals. As a veteran All- Star, Mutombo will get more respect and leeway from referees. He's also a better offensive rebounder than Ratliff, something Brown knows they will need in the playoffs when teams gang up on Allen Iverson and force him to take tougher shots. Click here for more analysis.

Atlanta, which has been shopping Mutombo since last summer, gets a younger center in Ratliff who was having a dominating season -- leading the league in blocked shots -- before fracturing his wrist earlier this month. Ratliff is expected to remain sidelined until mid-March.

The Hawks also get a player in Kukoc who can step right into their starting lineup alongside Brevin Knight, Jason Terry and Lorenzen Wright.

Mutombo, who put on a stellar performance in this year's All-Star Game, is averaging 14 rebounds and nine points per game. A three-time defensive player of the year, he will become a free agent July 1.

Ratliff, the league's top shot-blocker at 3.74 a game, is expected to miss four weeks with a fractured right wrist. Ratliff, who has missed four games, is averaging 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds a game.

Kukoc, who has started only four games this season, is averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 6 p.m. EST.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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